Word: ponting
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...Since then scientists have considered other ways of combatting the disease, including breeding armies of tiny parasitic wasps that would attack the fungus-bearing beetles, and defending elms with sticky traps coated with beetle-attracting odors. The newest weapon is a fungicide called Lignasan BLP, manufactured by Du Pont and put in commercial use for the first time this summer in about 1,000 locations in the U.S., including New York's Central Park, the White House lawns and in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where as many as 18,000 diseased trees may be cut down this year...
...trees. But many plant scientists refuse to endorse the product until they know more about proper dosages, duration of protection and the chemical's effectiveness when used without other preventive measures-such as insect control and prompt, careful pruning or removal of blighted elms. Just as cautiously, Du Pont emphasizes that Lignasan is only an aid for controlling the disease, not a cure...
Shapiro took over a company that had been family managed since the days when it sold gunpowder to Thomas Jefferson and, in the new chairman's view, had been made complacent by its long record of innovations (the most famous: the invention of nylon by Du Pont Scientist Wallace Carothers in the 1930s). Says Shapiro: "There was a smugness, a feeling that we're just a little better than anyone else. It took some bitter experience to cleanse the system...
...bitter experience came with the recession. Sales of synthetic textile fibers, which account for more than a third of Du Pont's volume, soared well into the recession year of 1974, spurred by a shortage mentality created by the Arab oil embargo. A Du Pont joke at the time was that if this is what recessions are like, bring on more. But then the buying stopped, and Du Pont and other manufacturers realized that they had built heavy overcapacity and were vulnerable to sharp price cutting. Result: Du Pont's earnings fell 33% in 1975. This problem...
Securing Supplies. Shapiro restricted research and development spending, concentrating on coming out with few products annually (half a dozen v. 25) and marketing them more heavily. A Du Pont trade show in Manhattan last week displayed numerous ways that manufacturers could use polyester fibers other than in conventional double-knit materials, which appear to be falling out of favor with consumers who have shifted back to cotton and wool. Shapiro has also moved to assure that Du Pont, a major seller of raw materials, has adequate supplies for its own operations. The company has entered into a venture with ARCO...